The Alternatives to Root Canal Treatment

You may have plans to get your infected teeth treated by undergoing root canal procedure. But then, it is also the fact that root canal treatment can turn out to be quite expensive. And so, you may not be in a position to pay for that treatment. In this scenario, you may wonder about the alternatives to root canal treatment. Good news is that the alternatives exist. Bad news is that not all of them are fully effective. However, they may be effective depending upon the nature and severity of the case.

What is root canal procedure?

Before we talk about alternatives to root canal procedure, it would be worth describing what a root canal procedure is. Root canal is recommended when an infected tooth needs to be saved. The infection may be due to a crack or cavity which lets the infection to be developed in the nerves and vessels of the tooth. The root canal procedure involves assessment of the tooth, drilling on the chewing surface to make a hole which reaches the inner chamber, removal of the infected nerve, sealing of the hole, and covering the hole with filling or crown.

Alternative treatments

• The first alternative to root canal treatment is the tooth extraction. After the tooth has been extracted the gap is filled with a bridge or a dental implant. From the perspective of functionality, none of these restorations is capable of replacing a saved natural tooth.
• Another theory suggests that a dental infection can be treated with the help of natural remedies. This approach typically involves quitting the consumption of sugary and starchy foods, and consuming high quality proteins. While it is never a bad idea to switch to a healthy lifestyle and eating the high quality foods, these foods can never reverse a worsened dental infection which typically requires a dental procedure to be treated.
• Ozone gas therapy is another option that you can think of if you want to treat a dental infection. The theory of this treatment is based on the ozone gas’s penetration into the tubules in the tooth’s cementum. The main purpose is the irrigation of the root area in order to disinfect the tooth. While studies suggest that ozone gas does have the capability to kill the germs, it is not guaranteed that the bacteria will not come back.

The final analysis

The alternatives mentioned above are definitely promising to some extent but they are not as beneficial as root canal treatment. Many people avoid root canal treatment due to the fear of pain. It is worth mentioning here that this treatment is not the source of pain. The real cause of pain is an infection.

The main purpose of root canal treatment is to treat the infection and provide relief to the patient from the pain due to that infection.